Bohor Reedbuck Species Profile: The Whistling Antelope of Wet Grassland

Reedbuck depend on grass tall enough to hide in, and they usually stay close to rivers, swamps and floodplains. In East Africa, the bohor reedbuck is the species most visitors meet, and it is a regular sight on wetland and savanna edges in several Ugandan, Kenyan and Tanzanian parks.

This profile explains how to identify it, how it behaves, and where to see it. For comparison with other antelopes of wet grassland, read the waterbuck, sitatunga and oribi profiles.

This guide is part of our animals of Uganda and East Africa guide. When you are ready to plan, see our Uganda safari packages or the Ameera Africa Safaris Uganda tours homepage.

Identification

The bohor reedbuck has a yellowish to tawny coat with white underparts, a white throat and a rounded, bushy-looking tail that shows white underneath when raised. A dark vertical stripe runs down the front of each foreleg, and a dark bare patch sits just below each ear, which marks a scent gland. Males carry horns that curve forward and hook at the tips, a good feature for identification, while females are hornless. The animal stands with a slightly hunched posture. It is smaller than a waterbuck and lacks the shaggy coat and ringed rump.

Habitat and Range

Bohor reedbuck live in a belt across tropical Africa wherever there is tall grass near water. They favour floodplains, marshy edges, river valleys and damp grassland, and they will use drier savanna that holds enough cover. They are mostly tied to these habitats because they need hiding places and fresh, green grazing. In East Africa they occur in Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania and Rwanda, usually in places where wetlands meet grassland.

Behaviour and Social Life

Bohor reedbuck are usually found alone, in pairs or in small family groups, though larger gatherings can form on good grazing. They are most active early and late, resting in tall grass through the heat of the day. When alarmed they freeze, then burst away with a series of stiff, springing bounds, whistling shrilly and flashing the white underside of the tail. Males hold territories, and some groups form around a dominant male. The whistle carries across the grass and is a useful clue to their presence.

Diet

These antelope are grazers, feeding mainly on grasses and sedges, with some herbs and leaves. They prefer fresh shoots, which is why they follow the sprouting grass after rain or burns. They need to drink regularly and rarely stray far from water. The diet places them in the same habitats as other wetland grazers, though they take smaller grass than larger species such as the buffalo. In seasonally flooded areas, they move with the water.

Breeding

A single calf is born, often hidden in tall grass for several weeks while the mother feeds away and returns to nurse it. Calves lie still and rely on camouflage, and the mother stays alert. Predators include lions, leopards, hyenas, jackals, pythons and crocodiles at the water edge. In many places births peak with the rains, when cover and food are plentiful.

Threats and Conservation

Bohor reedbuck are widespread but their dependence on wetlands makes them vulnerable to drainage, farming and overgrazing, and snaring and hunting affect them outside protected areas. They are considered of low concern globally, though local populations decline where wetlands shrink. National parks that protect floodplains and grasslands are important refuges, and clean, well-managed wetlands benefit many other species.

Where and How to See Bohor Reedbuck

Good places include Queen Elizabeth National Park in Uganda, Murchison Falls, Lake Nakuru, the Masai Mara and the Serengeti, and the wetland edges of Akagera in Rwanda. Scan tall grass near rivers and swamp margins at dawn and dusk, listening for the whistle. Stay in the vehicle and use binoculars. Learn more about related species in the East Africa wildlife guide.

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